


got me tripping like (wow)

by seungminis



Category: Stray Kids (Band)
Genre: 5+1 Things, Drunken Kissing, Drunken Shenanigans, Fluff, Humor, Hurt/Comfort, Lots of falling, M/M, and happy birthday sadie!!, anyway changlix cuties, because Felix is a klutz and trips a lot, but changbin catches him, chan i know you're watching hi, i needed to indulge, inspired by danceracha wow, same goes for jeongsung, seungjin are there for like 3 seconds, so be warned lol, the fourth part has a mild panic attack/mental breakdown, the national anthem of the gaystays, them falling in love simultaneously occurs with minchan's wedding prep, there's also alcohol in the 5th part if you couldn't tell already, they're cute tho, yk
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-31
Updated: 2021-01-31
Packaged: 2021-03-18 03:48:41
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 11,274
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29111835
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/seungminis/pseuds/seungminis
Summary: Changbin’s eyes couldn’t help but follow the stranger as he made his way through, but his thoughts and daydreams about the fairy-like boy halted as the brakes of the bus screeched loudly, and everyone jolted from where they were standing, or sitting, stumbling and regaining their balance. Changbin saw the lilac haired boy trip over his shoelace and fall backwards in his direction.Oh shit.//Felix can't help falling for Changbin, but by doing so, he catches Changbin's heart.
Relationships: Bang Chan/Lee Minho | Lee Know, Han Jisung | Han/Yang Jeongin | I.N, Hwang Hyunjin/Kim Seungmin, Lee Felix/Seo Changbin, Minor or Background Relationship(s)
Comments: 5
Kudos: 59





	got me tripping like (wow)

**Author's Note:**

  * For [plutosapphicstay](https://archiveofourown.org/users/plutosapphicstay/gifts).



> hi everyone! i'm back with another one lmao  
> anyway this is for sadie! (plutosapphicstay) and it took me like two months to write (i'm so sorry lmao) but it's for her birthday which was back in november (sorry again ajsdlkfds) but anyway happy belated birthday!! ily 🥺🥺🥺
> 
> **if you didn't read the tags, there is mentions of alcohol AND a mild panic attack in this one (parts 5 and 4 specifically) so i'd just say read with caution or click off if you're uncomfy!**
> 
> also would like to bring up that the situation between felix and his ex in part 4 was morally grey. they both did things right and did things wrong, and they both mildly refused to admit it -- that doesn't make either of them bad people, as they've changed by the time the story takes place. 
> 
> okay i think that's all! i hope you enjoy!

**I.**

There’s one thing that Changbin has learnt over the past couple of weeks: Lee Minho was just about as annoying as a mosquito bite on the ankle whenever his upcoming wedding was brought up. 

“Yes, Minho-hyung, I’m on my way. I’m not going to miss your tux-shopping.” Changbin sighed into the phone as he stood at Bus Stop 4419, waiting for the next bus to the Miroh shopping district. The crisp fall breeze wrapped around him, and he shuddered, shrinking back into his jacket as the cold prickled at the tips of his ears, turning them a rosy pink. A muffled whining sounded from the phone - Minho was not having it with Changbin’s tardiness - and Changbin huffed.

“ _Ye_ _s_ , hyung, I know that you and Channie-hyung are only getting married once. I’ll be there in 15 minutes. I just need to catch the bus.”

More muffled complaining sounded, Minho’s dramaticness showing through the random grievances he had.

“I can’t afford a car, and neither can you after this wedding.” 

Minho hissed, wounded by the comment before conceding to Changbin’s argument and threatening the younger to “get over here fast”. Changbin laughed in response, saying that he would, before bidding farewell and hanging up, just as the bus approached his stop. He pocketed his phone as a hissing noise released and the doors opened so people could board. He clambered on the bus, scanning his metro card to pay for his fare, before looking down the bus for an empty seat, and oh, _fuck_ ; it was more crowded than a tin of sardines. 

Changbin sighed: he couldn’t get off now. Minho would be extra pissed that Changbin was going to be more than a half hour late if he did so. So, Changbin sucked in a breath and slowly and politely made his way through the crowd, trying to find a reasonable amount of space to wait out the bus ride. Fortunately, somebody had just gotten up, and Changbin was quick to slide into the seat, due to the fact that no one noticed the empty seat.

He plugged in his earbuds and opened his messages to his conversation with Minho.

_(5 new messages)_

**pure evil:** you here yet?

 **pure evil:** are you here yet?

 **pure evil :** are you here yet?

 **pure evil:** seo changbin are you here yet?

 **pure evil:** A R E Y O U H E R E Y E T ?

**babybinnie:** what the hell hyung it’s been like 3 minutes 

**pure evil:** im bored okay channie’s at the other tux store with sungie

 **pure evil:** help me obi wan kenobin you’re my only hope

**babybinnie:** you’ve never watched star wars

**pure evil:**. 

**pure evil:** your point?

**babybinnie:** anyway, i’m on the bus, i’ll be there soon

**pure evil:** bet

 **pure evil:** i’mma cry over my camera roll again

**babybinnie:** your camera roll is channie hyung and your cats

**pure evil:** exactly

 **pure evil:** alr, i’ll be waiting :)

**babybinnie:** bet :)

With that, Changbin logged off the account and opened up his Spotify, playing his ATEEZ and TXT playlist (he was a secret soft stan for Yeonjun and Wooyoung, but that’s not the point) and getting lost in his own head. The space in front of him was completely full, people holding on to handles and poles and trying to stay comfortable in the packed car. He noticed one man with the prettiest lilac hair trying to squeeze his way through the crowd, keeping close to the row of seats where Changbin was sitting, maybe to find an emptier space to stand. Changbin’s eyes couldn’t help but follow the stranger as he made his way through, but his thoughts and daydreams about the fairy-like boy halted as the brakes of the bus screeched loudly, and everyone jolted from where they were standing, or sitting, stumbling and regaining their balance. Changbin saw the lilac haired boy trip over his shoelace and fall backwards in _his direction._

Oh shit.

Changbin closed his eyes and braced for impact when he felt something, or someone, hit his lap hard enough that Changbin winced but soft enough so it didn’t hurt; he felt the square of fabric of his shirt that covered his chest get bunched up by a pair of hands.

Changbin opened his eyes just a peek and saw the lilac haired boy he was observing just seconds before sitting in his lap, his face very dangerously close to Changbin’s and Changbin’s shirt balled up in his fists. Changbin’s eyes widened as he stared at the guy before him, who stared back with icy blue eyes wider than a deer in headlights, and oh goodness, he was _attractive._ And he had freckles- that was a double kill for Changbin’s poor heart to handle.

Did he mention how close their faces were? 

The lilac haired boy flushed a crimson red as he profusely apologized, trying to climb off of Changbin’s lap but finding no space in the crowd before him to get up. 

“Oh my goodness, I’m so sorry, mate. I’m such a klutz!” 

_Oh dear, was that an Australian accent?!_

Changbin smiled sympathetically, “Don’t worry about it!”. The elder boy scooted over and left a small gap for the stranger to slide off his lap and sit on the seat instead. 

“Thank you,” The stranger smiled, before extending his hand to introduce himself. “Anyway, g’day, stranger! I’m Felix.”

Changbin took Felix’s hand and shook it. “Hi Felix, you’re cute- I mean, I’m Changbin. It’s nice to meet you! Though the situation could have been a little less awkward.”

Felix laughed, “True. It’s not everyday where you meet someone because they fell in your lap. Anyway it’s nice to meet you Changbin! And thanks, I’m flattered by the compliment.”

Changbin laughed, but internally he was screaming due to the natural phenomena called gay panic. 

The bus slowed to a stop again, stopping at the stop Changbin was supposed to get off of. Changbin mentally cursed the fates for halting a perfect conversation with a really cute guy. He sighed, “Well, this is my stop. I'll see you around? Clé City is a pretty small place after all."

Felix nodded, "I look forward to it. Have a nice day, Changbin!"

Changbin smiled as he got up, "You too, Felix."

( "You're telling me you met a cute guy on the bus? I wish I could have seen that!" Minho laughed as he posed in front of a mirror in a sleek, black wedding tux.

Changbin scoffed, "Okay, calm your tits. Contrary to popular belief, other than him falling in my lap, we made a good impression on each other. I miss him already."

Minho's eyes bugged out, "He fell in your _lap?!_ Boy, I bet you definitely gay panicked."

"Shut up, hyung.")

**II.**

Over the course of the next couple of weeks, Changbin would learn that Clé City was indeed a small, small world. He would also learn that there were literally two Australians in the town and because of the Aussie radar (the g'day-dar, as Chan, Minho's fianceé (and also the only other Australian in the area) liked to call it), the two birds of a feather would know each other.

Changbin had kind of given up on seeing Felix again at this point - it had been a week (or three) since the fateful encounter fell in Changbin's lap (pun intended) on the bus. He and Chan were going to a florist’s shop to pore over the colorful flowers and, in Chan’s words, find out “which ones best matched their tuxes”.

They were blasting music as Changbin rode shotgun in Chan’s Jeep and Chan spoke up loudly over the music. “Binnie, I invited one of my other friends along. He’s an interior designer so I thought he’d help with the color scheme. So we’ll pick him up and then head to the shop.”

“Okay!” Changbin replied, with a thumbs up before the two of them went back to screeching Bad Romance at the top of their lungs as Chan pulled into Astronaut Avenue, a small street of apartment complexes in the heart of Clé City, hitting the breaks in front of a small pink building that stood out against the vast blue skies and beige colored buildings behind it. Chan whipped out his phone, dialing a number and going silent for a few seconds before piping up in a chipper tone, “Hey, mate! I’m outside the building whenever you’re ready.”

A muffled voice whose owner’s name was on the tip of Changbin’s tongue sounded from the other end of the line, and Changbin couldn’t quite make the connection. Chan giggled, snapping Changbin out of his attempt to eavesdrop and know this new friend of Chan’s.

“Uh huh, love you too, no homo. Bye bye.”

With that, Chan hung up and smiled at Changbin, announcing, “Well, Felix is on his way! I can’t wait for the two of you to meet; he’s like my Aussie brother from another mother. Wait, that’s exactly what he is to me.” 

Changbin nodded with a grin, before he went rigid.

Felix? As in Felix from the bus? The incredibly cute boy with the freckles who fell into Changbin’s lap? 

Chan’s excited gasp and his waving to someone walking out of the building confirmed Changbin’s suspicion. Changbin glanced out the passenger seat’s window and his eyes widened as he saw a familiar lilac head of hair. 

Yep, it was _that_ Felix. 

Well, he was going to make a Fool-with-a-capital-F of himself. 

Well, what did Changbin expect? Felix _was_ a pretty rare name in the primarily East-Asian Clé City. The boy jumped excitedly as Chan unlocked the back door of his Jeep, and he opened the door exclaiming loudly, “Channie hyung!” to which Chan replied with an equally loud “Lixie!”.

Felix slid into the backseat and shut the door before he finally realized there was someone in the passenger seat, and his eyebrows raised in disbelief when he saw it was Changbin.

“Oh my gosh, we meet again,” Felix laughed. “Clé City really _is_ small.”

Changbin agreed with a chuckle and Chan’s jaw dropped as he keyed the ignition, “Since when did you two know each other?” 

“Ah, we met a couple of weeks ago-” Changbin started, laughing nervously and Felix butted in, “I accidentally fell in his lap on the bus.” 

Chan raised his freshly done brows in surprise, yet he kept his eyes focused on the road, looking up at the rearview mirror momentarily to make eye-contact with Felix, like moms did when they were asking their kids how school was. “Well,” he started, “That’s not your everyday first impression. There must have been a lot of tension.” 

Changbin flushed and Felix giggled from the back seat, “Yep.”

Chan smiled as he went back to blasting his “retro” playlist, with Queen next on the queue and he and Felix began to sing in low timbres to We Are The Champions. Changbin bopped his head along to the beat before he realized that Felix actually agreed to Chan’s comment about tension.

And maybe that consumed his mind until they reached the small flower shop, elegantly named “The Enchanted Garden” and run by the boyfriend of Jisung, someone Chan and Changbin both knew, Jeongin. 

The three climbed out of the Jeep, Chan making sure to lock it, and they entered the small building decorated with growing ivy on the outsides, giving it that enchanted feel. The three were greeted by a completely empty store, save for a platinum blonde haired boy with sparkly eyes playing on his phone at the cash register.

“Jeonginnie,” Chan sang, and the fox-like boy perked up, beaming widely at the sight of Chan and Co. 

“Hyungs!” Jeongin smiled, and Felix waved, “Good to see you again, Jeonginnie.” 

“Bro, I missed you,” Jeongin whined and Changbin was confused. At this rate he bet Felix knew everyone in Changbin’s relatively tiny social circle except for himself. He made a mental note to maybe ask Felix about that later. Jeongin clapping snapped the boy out of his thoughts as he announced, “So, let’s go flower hunting, shall we?” 

Chan nodded, “Yep. I always forget how big this place is. Should we divide and conquer for cute flowers?”  
  


Felix nodded with a grin, “You could go with Jeonginnie. He’s the flower expert after all.”

Chan smiled, looking at the younger boy, “Yep, he sure is.”  
  


Jeongin rolled his eyes playfully in response as Chan turned back to Felix, “And you and Binnie could find some flowers too! Since you both have taste in aesthetics, you know.”

Felix gave Chan a thumbs up, before the elder set off on a flower hunt with Jeongin, and then Felix turned to Changbin grinning mischeviously, “So, partner, you ready to flower hunt?” 

Changbin’s gay panic chose to activate when Felix smiled that sunshine rivaling smile, the smile that could face off against all the stars in the sky combined and win- no, _stop_ waxing poetic about Felix’s smile!

Either way, Changbin thought Felix’s smile was pretty.

That was all. Nothing more, nothing less.

Changbin nodded, “Ready to go!” 

And so the two set off, navigating the mystical space that was Jeongin’s “enchanted” flowershop, gently running their fingers among the soft petals of tropical pink hydrangeas and the small forest green leaves of ancient ferns. Felix hummed quietly to himself as he walked ahead of Changbin, before the elder piped up: “So Felix, how do you know Chan, and Minho… and Jeongin?” 

Felix turned around, surprised at the question that broke the silence; he halted the skip in his step to allow Changbin and his shorter legs to catch up. “Well,” Felix started with a soft smile, “Channie and I met at college and then we both happened to move to Clé City later for jobs. Chan introduced me to apparently “all of his friend group but one person”. I’m assuming you’re that person?” Felix smiled as he placed airquotes around Chan’s words, air quoting them. 

“I’m assuming that too,” Changbin joked, “Otherwise that would hurt.” 

Felix giggled in response, nose crinkling and freckles dancing across his skin, “So how do you know Chan?” 

“He, Jisung, and I make music together,” Changbin smiled, “Usually we produce for Clé City artists, and I don’t know what I’d do without that dork.” 

Felix raised his hands in agreement, “Amen. So have you lived in Clé City your whole life?” 

“Yeah, pretty much. I left here to go to college, but came back because I really missed this place. It’s so beautiful.”

Felix nodded in agreement, a comfortable silence falling between the two. However, amidst each other’s company, Felix and Changbin didn’t notice a _Caution: Wet Floor_ sign on the ground. 

Felix’s converse skidded across a puddle of water upon stepping on it in an aisle of buttercups and the delphiniums and snapdragons seemed to be watching as Felix lost his balance and fell backwards. 

Changbin’s reflexes were quick to act, his strong arms catching Felix by grabbing his waist, and everything felt like deja vu from when they first met on the bus, with Felix being dangerously close to Changbin, back pressed against Changbin’s chest. 

Changbin’s gay panic once again chose this opportunity to make a comeback, causing the back of his neck to flush red as he helped Felix to his feet. Felix huffed out in relief, laughing awkwardly, “Well, that was a close call. Thanks!”  
  


Changbin smiled, words tripping over each other, “Y-you’re welcome.”

Nothing more was said, the two went down the flower aisles, back on tax, but Felix’s surprised yelp and his grin after Changbin caught him seemed to have been tattooed in Changbin’s mind.

(They eventually ended up choosing forget-me-nots and jasmine for the wedding table centerpieces. Chan was excited to show Minho the bouquet that Jeongin made, so he was standing off to one side of the flowershop, rapidly typing away at his phone, leaving Changbin and Felix alone. 

Felix grinned, “Well, it was nice seeing you again. You’re really fun to be around.” 

_Wait really?_

“Thanks,” Changbin replied, flattered. “We should find a way to talk more!” 

Felix nodded, “Yeah! Instead of waiting for the moment to _fall_ in our hands again-” he paused to giggle at the pun he made “-do you want to exchange numbers?” 

Changbin smiled softly, “I’d like that.”)

**III.**

Changbin and Felix texted a lot following the flower shop encounter, becoming closer friends as the two of them became more and more tasked with helping out with Minho and Chan’s wedding as the two were both the best men -- Felix for Chan’s side and Changbin for Minho’s side. They were both also having trouble writing best man speeches for the wedding, so Changbin had, in a fit of frustration one night, grabbed his phone and texted Felix, asking if the two could meet:

**changbin the cool kid:** felix 

**felix the flower boi** : wassup homeslice

**changbin the cool kid:** for the sake of my cool kid status pls never say that again

**felix the flower boi:** LMAO

 **felix the flower boi:** bet

 **felix the flower boi:** but srsly what do you need hyung?

**changbin the cool kid:** turns out i can’t write a best man speech to save my life

**felix the flower boi:** haha same

 **felix the flower boi:** i’m not kidding what i have to describe minho and chan is genuinely sad

 **felix the flower boi:** “i’m felix and minho and chan are cute. congrats to the happy couple” 

**changbin the cool kid:** jsdlkfajdsf still better than mine all i have is an embarrassing story about minho that has no connection to minho and chan as a couple

**felix the flower boi:** spill

**changbin the cool kid :** [image sent]

**felix the flower boi:** JSDKLFJDSF CHANGBIN HYUNG

 **felix the flower boi:** yep mine is definitely better than that

 **felix the flower boi:** . 

**felix the flower boi:** minho hyung actually did that?

**changbin the cool kid:** i have ~video evidence~

**felix the flower boi:** OH JEEZ

**changbin the cool kid:** anyway i wanted to ask if you wanted to meet up to give our speeches a MASSIVE makeover-

**felix the flower boi:** yes yes PLEASE i need help desperately.

 **felix the flower boi:** we can meet at the library tomorrow

**changbin the cool kid:** awesome legumes, works for me

**felix the flower boi:** bro

 **felix the flower boi:** just say cool beans

**changbin the cool kid:** my trendsetting heart’s been broke so many times iiii don’t know what to believe

**felix the flower boi:** mama said it was your fault u wear your heart on your sleeve

And the next day, Changbin found himself sitting at a small table in the back of blowing bubbles with his half-plastic Hubba Bubba bubblegum while waiting for Felix. His laptop was open in front of him, playing some sketch comedy at a low volume as his leg bounced in impatience. The sound of the door opening snapped his mind out of its fuzziness and he looked up to see Felix standing in the doorway, with his bag slung over his shoulder. Changbin paused his video and waved, “Hey, Lixie!”

The librarians shushed him aggressively, and Changbin swore he saw spit fleckles get caught in the light. 

Felix looked Changbin’s way, and waved, before making his way over “Hyung!”

For some reason, the librarians did not shush Felix, even though the boy was definitely louder than Changbin. Maybe it was some kind of universal law, Changbin thought, something like _hey, you! You better not dampen the walking fireball that is Lee Felix or cosmically bad consequences will occur because karma is a bitch and karma also loves Felix. Everyone does. You can’t not love Felix._

Changbin was an atheist, but suddenly, he was curious if that law was in some religious texts. Wait, how did his train of thought go this far astray? What was he even thinking about before this?

The lilac haired boy sat down in a chair and smiled at Changbin, before digging in his bag and pulling out a partially crumpled piece of paper, attempting to smooth it out (not to any avail) before smiling at Changbin: “How are you this fine arvo?”.

“Arvo,” Changbin repeated, confused at what Felix meant. Felix laughed, “Oh right. Arvo is Aussie slang for afternoon.” 

“Oh,” Changbin replied, before repeating the word again, enjoying the feeling of it rolling off his tongue, before adding with an amused smile “I’m doing great this fine arvo. What about you, Lixie?”

(Changbin also noticed the nickname “Lixie” rolled off his tongue smoother than butter. He particularly enjoyed the feeling of it and decided that he should do it more often). 

“I’m doing pretty well,” Felix giggled. “Though, my best man toast looks far messier than I expected. It’s done, but I’m just not happy with it, mate.” He handed the partially crumpled sheet of notebook paper to Changbin to show the elder what he had written so far, and Changbin took it from him. Felix’s handwriting was pretty, Changbin thought; it was small and neat, almost like a font that Changbin has sworn he’s seen on Google Docs before. Maybe Indie Flower? Or Sriracha? Or a lovely mix of the two?

(Don’t judge Changbin for knowing font names; maybe before becoming a composer, he wanted to be a graphic designer, due to his love for fonts and typefaces.)

Anyway, Changbin thought Felix’s handwriting would make a great font. Where was he? Oh yes, reading Felix’s toast. He glanced back at Felix’s font-like handwriting, this time actually holding the intention to _read_ it: 

_Chan is Chan. Minho is Minho._

Ah yes, the floor is made of floor, Changbin thought jokingly, before continuing. 

_Honestly, I see the two as polar opposites, yet they’re the same once you look deeper. Chan is the parental friend of my friend group, for sure. He’s sweet, charming and very very humble. He’s a dog person and he loves to sing. He’s also the kind of person to plan out his future 5 years in advance. He’s cool, calm, composed and I look up to him for that. Also he’s my Aussie brother from another mother, and he’s like a calm sunny day -- he brings comfort to everyone._

That’s definitely true. Chan was very put together and collected, and Changbin did agree with everything Felix said. Chan was his platonic dad, his big brother, and his roll model tied into one tiny blonde Australian package. Changbin smiled to himself.

_Minho on the other hand is wild. He’s definitely more of the sassy wine aunt friend, and he’s the life of the party. He’s funny, charismatic and confident. He owns three cats and is a dancer. He’s also very spontaneous -- he graduated college with a computer science major, before he chose to become a dancer on a whim. Compared to Chan’s calmness, Minho’s a storm, willing to do what he wants when he wants it, and I look up to Minho because he lives his life boldly._

Changbin’s smile grew as his fingers traced over Felix’s handwriting, smiling at his well written (and very accurate) words regarding Minho, and it did make Changbin think that the two were very much opposites of each other.

But opposites _do_ attract, don’t they?

Changbin continued reading: 

_Now, I’ve had the pleasure of knowing these two since they first became friends with each other, and I’ve been friends with them for quite a long time before that. When they first hooked up, I thought their differences would tear them apart instantly, and that the relationship would never work out. But as the relationship progressed over the years, I realized that the two of them aren’t two hearts beating at different rhythms, but two parts of the same heart. They both had similar interests in life and love, and the way they looked at each other was filled with so much love it made me, a mere witness, feel so warm and at home. They’re perfect for each other, because despite their differences, they’re both cheesy, they’re both very open-hearted, they both love attacking Hyunjin whenever he visits, and most importantly, they both care for and love each other a great amount. Seriously, I’m really glad to have seen this journey, and I can’t imagine two people that are more perfect for each other. I also can’t imagine two people that could make me feel any more single. Anyway, congrats to Channie Hyung and Minho Hyung, and I hope you two have a lifetime of happiness ahead of you._

Changbin looked up from the paper and met Felix’s eyes, looking at him expectantly. Felix gave him a small nervous smile before asking, “How was it?”

“Wow.” Changbin said, “Lixie, that was a good speech! I don’t see why you don’t like it.” 

Felix’s blue eyes lit up like the cloudless sky outside the library they were in. “Really?! I was so worried it sounded terrible.”

Changbin shook his head, “It’s definitely not. I think if we add some small tweaks, it would be a legendary toast.” 

Felix let out a sigh of relief before gently wrapping both of his small hands around Changbin’s resting on the table. Changbin looked up, surprised, and Felix was _beaming,_ rivaling the sun’s rays that were leaking through the freshly wiped glass windowpanes and hitting the table at which they were sitting. 

“Thank you, Binnie-hyung.” Felix said, and Changbin internally screamed, because hello? A handsome guy was holding his hands in his warm ones (it reminded Changbin of his mother’s hands, of home) and he was smiling, and he wasn’t completely repulsed by Changbin’s presence. Oh, and he just called him Binnie. Only Changbin’s closest friends called him Binnie. 

_Fuck._

Changbin felt the blood surge up to his cheeks as he laughed nervously, “Anytime. Do you want to take a look at my abomination of a toast now?” 

Felix chuckled at Changbin’s comment, “I’m sure it’s not bad. Lemme have a look-see.”

_Who says look-see these days? Ah, who cares, it’s kind of cute._

Changbin closed out of the Studio S sketch comedy episode where the creepy librarian tried to marry Rick Riordan, and pulled up the word document with his toast typed up on it. Unlike Felix’s lovely Google-Docs handwriting, Changbin’s handwriting was _very_ illegible, and he much preferred typing over writing.

“You go ahead and read, I’m going to go spit out my gum.” Changbin said, reluctantly tearing his hands away from Felix’s hold to pull out the wrapper of his Hubba Bubba that he had stored in his pocket, before getting up and walking across the library. He hoped Felix wouldn’t laugh too much at the fact that Changbin could write songs for pop-stars but not write a best man’s toast. 

He quickly disposed of his gum, humming a small tune (out of earshot from the librarians, of course) as he made his way back, and he saw Felix leaning back on the hind 2 legs of his chair. It looked risky and Changbin neared the table just as Felix let go of the table in front of him, and realized that he had teetered too far. Felix let out a yelp as the chair fell backwards, and Changbin didn’t hesitate to surge forward and catch the back of Felix’s chair. Fortunately, Changbin worked out and his strong arms were able to stop Felix from hitting the back of his head.

The elder let out a sigh of relief.

And then he realized the position the two were in. 

Changbin felt a surge of deja vu, as Felix’s chair was _still_ leaning backwards and Felix was looking up, absolutely surprised that he didn’t die just then. Changbin looked down on the younger boy, flustered and a little out of breath. Felix’s lips parted as he let out a small sigh of relief and Changbin couldn’t help but notice how the rays of golden sunlight illuminated Felix’s lips.

This was some K-Drama-Shit-Of-The-Really-Sappy-Variety. 

Changbin stuttered as he set Felix’s chair back upright, “S-so, my toast?” 

Felix flushed , flustered from the close contact that just happened seconds ago, “Y-yeah.” 

And so, they cracked down on their work, fixing Changbin’s story about Minho in college to evolve into a speech that highlighted the growth of Minho whenever Chan came into his life and vice versa. Of course, they both had the attention spans of goldfishes and got distracted, watching game play videos and sketch comedy on Changbin’s laptop whenever they needed to give the cogs churning in their cerebrums a break.

Changbin couldn’t help but steal glances at Felix every now and then, too. The younger was just too pretty (both inside and out) to not admire. He was like a four leaf clover -- cute guys like him that weren’t straight or total assholes were very rare to find, and _boy_ was Changbin developing a raging crush on the younger as the seconds whiled by. 

(Of course, for clarification purposes, Changbin does find the rest of his friends cute -- they’re just not his type for some reason. He did date Hyunjin for a month, before the two had an amicable split upon Seungmin entering Hyunjin’s life and Hyunjin falling head over heels for him. Changbin couldn’t blame him though.)

Anyway, the TL;DR of that Changbin-Introspection freshly provided to you was that Felix was really special and Changbin, now having fallen fast and incredibly hard for the sunshiney boy, wanted to spend more and more time with him, as the four hours the two just spent in the library was far from sufficient. 

(By the time the two finally shut down Changbin’s laptop (after saving his toast, of course), the sun was setting outside and Changbin really didn’t want this to be the last time he saw the younger before Minho and Chan’s wedding, so he turned to Felix as the two walked out of the library.

“Say, you want to hang out tomorrow, if you’re free?” he asked, eyes fixated on a rock he was kicking along the steps to the library as he and Felix descended them. “I had a lot of fun today, and I was really hoping we could do more in person hangouts like these.” 

Felix beamed upon Changbin’s question, nodding eagerly, “Blueprint Cafe at 5, tomorrow?” 

Changbin smiled softly as the remains of the sun setting behind the horizon hit only him and Felix, making it feel like he and Felix were the only two people in Cle City, if not the world.

“See you there.”)

**IV.**

The weeks until Minho and Chan’s wedding began to dwindle down from eight weeks to four, and from four weeks to two. Changbin and Felix had met up almost daily, as if it was some kind of ritual the two had to perform, and Changbin was glad to say that he considered Felix as a really genuinely close friend, and he knew Felix regarded him in the same manner. They often frequented Blueprint Cafe, much to Seungmin’s dismay (the boy had to take up a part time job in order to make it through a career change, and he really did _not_ want to see Changbin and Felix making goo-goo eyes with each other as a part of the job). There, they spent the evenings with each other, talking about everything and anything they missed out on in each other’s lives since they only met a few months ago. 

Changbin found himself waiting in Blueprint cafe once again, except this time, Felix was late-by-a-lot. Felix was never Late-By-A-Lot! Maybe he was fashionably late, but not late-by-a-lot!

Seungmin stopped by Changbin’s table for a third time, with a pitcher in one hand and a plate of scones in the other. (Changbin had gone through two plates of scones in worry-eating. This was not going to be good on his stomach later.) 

“He’s still not here? It’s been like 3 hours.” the boy asked, concerned, and Changbin shook his head. “He’s not here.” 

Seungmin’s lips pursed into a thin line, “Have you tried texting him? I can also ask Hyunjinnie if he’s seen Felix at the dance studio.” 

Changbin nodded, “Can you, please? I’ll text him.”

Seungmin smiled sympathetically, setting his plates down on an empty table and sliding into the seat across from Changbin, “Of course.” 

The two friends whipped out their phones, and Seungmin quickly dialed Hyunjin’s number as Changbin opened his messages with Felix (he had just texted the younger a few hours ago, so he was at the top of his inbox). 

**makes music:** lixie? where are you? are you okay?

_seen. 8:00PM_

**_makes dances_** _is offline._

“Hi, Jinnie,” Seungmin started quietly, and Changbin listened in, concern etching his features. Seungmin chuckled, probably at some flirty comment Hyunjin made, before getting the conversation back on track, his brows furrowing as he spoke, “As sweet as that was, I wanted to ask: did Felix show up to the studio today?” 

Seungmin went quiet and Changbin could hear Hyunjin’s muffled reply. 

“Oh, he took a day off?” Seungmin exchanged a worried look with Changbin and Seungmin hummed, in response to something else Hyunjin said, “Ah yeah, it’s just that Changbin and Felix were apparently hanging out again -- _ow,_ watch the volume -- you’re good, Jinnie. Anyway, Felix didn’t show up and Changbin can’t reach him.” 

“I’ll text him too.”

More silence.

“Okay, _no_ , don’t spike anyone’s blood pressure like that. I’m sure Felix is still alive, right?” Seungmin looked at Changbin and Changbin nodded uncertainly, and Seungmin continued. “Y-yeah, he’s alive.” 

“That would be great, Jinnie. Thank you.” 

A muffled reply sounded again and Seungmin’s serious expression morphed into a soft, barely-visible, lovesick smile. “I love you too, my prince. See you at home.” 

With that Seungmin hung up, and looked at Changbin, “No sign of Felix at the studio. Apparently he told Minho he’s taking a day off. Maybe something came up and he needs a little space? He’ll text you if he needs anything.”

“Yeah,” Changbin sighed, and Seungmin got up and patted the elder’s shoulder, smiling nonchalantly, “Don’t worry so much, hyung. Felix really cares about you, he wouldn’t leave you in the dark like this intentionally. Now go home, I have to close.”

“Wait, one more thing,” Changbin smirked slightly, “ _my prince?_ ” and Seungmin scowled, “Don’t speak of that, or I’ll throw you to Mars. Now shoo.” 

**

When Changbin returned back to his shared apartment with Jisung, Jeongin’s boyfriend and fellow producer, and told the squirrely boy about what just happened with Felix, Jisung grimaced, saying he might know the reason behind Felix’s odd behavior. Changbin, being mildly in love with the boy, wanted to know what the reason was but Jisung shook his head, saying that it was Felix’s place to tell, not his, before offering to order takeout and play MarioKart. 

And so, they did that. 

“Fuck you!” Jisung hollered as Changbin threw a red shell at Jisung’s Shy Guy avatar. 

“Don’t hate the player,” Changbin started, as he veered his joy-con wheel, causing his Pink Gold Peach avatar to swerve on the screen, effectively taking first place, “Hate the game.”

Jisung rolled his eyes like the little e-boy he was and snorted, “That’s so overuse- Hey! Fuck you too, Toad!” 

Changbin snickered at Jisung’s Rainbow Road-rage; the boy trying to hang on to 11th place as if it were his life really brightened Changbin’s mood. Count on his roommate to be the life of the party whenever it was needed -- it really helped him get his mind off of his worry about Felix. 

Pink Gold Peach effortlessly crossed the finish line, while Shy Guy slid down to 12th place, and Jisung threw his wheel down in frustration, declaring loudly, “I’m _never_ playing MarioKart again!” 

(They both knew that he’d challenge Changbin to it again the next day. It was a never-ending cycle). 

Jisung then grabbed the Chinese takeout box holding his Lo Mein that was sitting on the coffee table, using his chopsticks to grab a big piece of chicken. Changbin was _going_ to eat his food, when his phone chimed and he grabbed it, turning it on to see one new text message from the person that was sitting in the back of his mind the entire time.

[1 new message]

 **makes dances:** changbin-hyung are you byus?

[1 new message]

 **makes dances:** busy*

Changbin didn’t hesitate to unlock his phone, speedily texting a reply to Felix.

**makes music:** not rlly, just eating dinner with sung rn.

 **makes music:** what’s up lixie? are you okay? 

**makes dances:** um idk if this is too much to ask…

For some reason, Changbin’s heart beat in anticipation. He didn’t know what he was expecting, but he so desperately wanted to know what it was that Felix wanted. 

(He did have a crush on the boy, after all. He wanted to protect Felix, and make sure he was okay). 

**makes dances:** can you come over?

 **makes dances:** im just… not in a good place rn

 **makes dances:** mental breakdowns and what not

**makes music:** sure of course! what’s ur address again?

**_makes dances_ ** _has shared his location._

**makes music:** okay i’ll be there soon!

**makes dances:** thank you hyung this means a lot to me

 **makes dances:** sorry for bothering you 

**makes music:** no worries, lixie. you’re important to me, it’s not a bother at all!

**makes dances:** :”) 

**makes dances:** <3

“Jisung, I’m heading out. Felix just texted me.” 

Jisung whined dramatically, “No! I want to beat you in MarioKart!” 

“Tomorrow?” Changbin asked and Jisung huffed, “You singles and your single hangouts. Have fun. I’m going to go cuddle the heck out of Jeonginnie tonight.”

** 

When Changbin reached Felix’s apartment and knocked on the door, Felix didn’t hesitate in answering it and upon the sight of the younger boy, Changbin’s heart broke. Felix looked like an absolute mess, like he hadn’t slept in days; his eyes were puffy and mildly bloodshot, and tear stains made his freckles glimmer.

“Hi,” Felix said, his deep voice scratchy, and Changbin smiled sympathetically. 

“Hey,” he said softly, “Is everything okay?”  
  


Felix laughed wryly, “Not really. Come in.” 

Changbin nodded as Felix stepped out of the doorway and the elder stepped in. He realized this was his first time in Felix’s apartment, and he would take the time to appreciate it, but Felix was in need of help right now and Changbin had to _focus._ It was game time.

Felix’s studio apartment was pretty small, and Felix patted the sofa as he paced around the living room, “Have a seat, hyung”. 

Changbin sat down, reveling in the softness of the couch cushions before looking at Felix pacing around. “So what happened?” 

“Well,” Felix chuckled wryly, “It’s a long story, so I’ll keep it short. Don’t want to keep you too long.” 

Changbin shook his head, “I don’t mind hearing the long version.” 

Felix swiveled around, bloodshot eyes widened in surprise, “Really?” 

“Really. I have all the time in the world for you.” 

“Oh, okay, um,” Felix murmured, unsure of where to start, as he reached the other end of the room, turning around and pacing his way across again. “I guess I should start by saying, I had a boyfriend before I moved here. I like boys. And girls.”  
  


“Valid,” Changbin said, smiling, “I like boys too, and so does the rest of our friend group, as you can tell.” 

“Really? Oh yeah, that makes sense, we hang with three whipped gay couples.” Felix joked, lips twitching upwards into a small smile, before realizing where he was at, “Right. So I had a boyfriend. His name was Patrick and he was… interesting. He asked me out in college and I said yes, because he was cute and it was worth a shot you know? You never turn down someone cute.” 

“Never,” Changbin agreed. 

“And so we started dating, and it was great for the first few years. We were a power couple. We did everything together. And then he started acting weird.”

“What do you mean?”

“It started when he asked me to move in with him,” Felix replied, frowning at the memories. “He started to get weird-ish. Our relationship was toxic near the end of our relationship. He hated one of my friends, and that friend was going through some rough times and he asked me not to side with the friend. I wasn’t doing okay from the pressure of being accused by my boyfriend and his friends that I was siding with my other friend, and I kinda just blocked everyone and blipped off the radar for a few days to take care of myself. I didn’t really communicate, which was my fault, but Patrick kinda just threw our relationship out the window. I get why, I messed up, but he should also value our history, you know? He should have had a little faith in our relationship, I wasn’t going to ditch him that easily. Anyway, I felt like shit after he broke up with me, because it was mostly my fault, and based on how quick he was to just dump me like that, I felt like the 4 year relationship we had wasn’t genuine, so I decided to leave town to move on, and I found myself at Cle City,” Felix said, barely managing to stop his voice from trembling at the end. 

Changbin watched the pacing boy sympathetically. “Oh,” he managed to say, as Felix shook his head, “I’m not done yet.” 

“Oh?” 

Felix nodded. 

“Turns out, Patrick knew I was in Clé, and he was apparently in town for work,” Felix continued, as his breathing became more erratic, “and he decided to pay me a visit. I have no idea how he found out where I lived, but he came knocking at my door and he wanted to just hang out as friends.”

“Oh.” Changbin breathed. 

“But I was upset. I was mad at our past, mad at everything he pulled, because we were supposed to trust each other. So I kind of blew up at him. I told him to leave, that I could never be friends with someone who I’ve hurt and someone who’s hurt me, and then he seemed hurt, but he left, and now we’re not friends.” Felix said, before a sob escaped his lips, “What the hell is wrong with me? I trusted someone too much and I felt ashamed and so bitter after everything ended. I could have had a perfectly good friendship but I had to let my feelings get in the way.” 

Changbin gently grabbed Felix’s hand, tugging it towards the sofa, but Felix tripped over the rug on his living room floor as he was making his way over, and Changbin flinched, ready for Felix to fall. The next thing he knew, Felix’s hands were on the couch’s backrest, on opposite sides of Changbin’s head, and Felix’s face was dangerously close to Changbin’s as a result of catching himself from falling.

All the breath in Changbin’s lungs left his body, because holy _shit,_ even in the midst of a mental breakdown, Felix looked _stunning_. The tears running down his face gave his cheeks a shiny gloss, causing the stars dotting his face to shine. His blue eyes looked like glaciers frozen in time.

Changbin was captivated, as his eyes quickly flicked down to Felix’s rosy pink lips, and for some reason, Changbin felt he urge to surge forward and capture those lips with his own-

No, snap out of it, Changbin. Now was _not_ the time!

Changbin’s eyes flit back up to Felix’s, carefully observing the thin rivers of red in his eyes. 

“There’s nothing wrong with you,” Changbin started, half-paying attention, half lost in Felix’s eyes, as the two of them snapped out of their trance and Felix pulled away from the couch, instead seating himself next to Changbin. Changbin gently grabbed Felix’s hand, thumbing over the back of the younger’s hand as he repeated, “There’s nothing wrong with you. Miscommunication happens. Relationships end. It wasn’t entirely your fault, and it wasn’t entirely his. You have the right to be bitter about it, because maybe you two could have saved your relationship, but he’s also valid for feeling the way he feels. It’s for the best Lixie. Now you can move on to happier days, and healthier relationships. It’s not always mandatory to be friends with your ex, especially when it’s at the expense of your other friend. Like imagine if you were friends with him and friends with the friend he hated -- it wouldn’t be healthy for you. Your decision’s valid. Don’t abandon your morals for your relationships.”

Felix sniffled, “Yeah, but I messed up, and I miss what I had with him. I miss being in a relationship, and I’m petty and bitchy in his eyes now .”

“No buts, Lixie. You don’t get to bring yourself down over other people. You are beautiful, and smart, and kind, and people aren’t always going to have a good opinion of you. You can’t please everyone, and that’s okay. Focus on the people that you can make happy instead of people like your exes and whoever your ex is with right now. Focus on you.” 

Felix’s jaw dropped gently, surprised that someone cared so much to tell him that he was loved like that. He smiled a watery smile, tears flowing down his face as he pulled Changbin into a hug, burying his face into Changbin’s shoulder. Changbin was taken by surprised but hugged back regardless.

“Thank you hyung,” Felix whispered so that only Changbin could hear, “I really needed that.”

“Anything for you, Lixie.” Changbin replied quietly, rubbing circles on Felix’s back. 

_Anything for you._

(That night, when Felix had finally calmed down a little and was in the right state to spend the rest of the night alone, Changbin found himself sliding his coat back on at the door. Felix was watching on with a fond smile, and when Changbin was ready to leave, the lilac haired boy stepped forward. 

“Thanks again, Binnie,” Felix smiled and Changbin’s heart skipped a beat at the return of that fond nickname without any honorifics this time. He smiled sheepishly, “Of course. I’ll see you tomorrow?” 

Felix quickly stepped forward and pressed a chaste kiss to Changbin’s cheek, before pulling away and nodding. “See you tomorrow”).

**V.**

Time flew yet again, and before Changbin knew it, it was time for Minho and Chan’s rehearsal dinner. Meanwhile, in the exciting story of Changbin x Felix developments (or at least, that’s what Minho likes to call it), the two have been dancing on the fine line between being friends and something more. 

Maybe it would take a little liquid courage to push them over to the other side. Who knew?

The garden that Chan had booked out for the wedding was bustling with people excitedly chattering amongst themselves as they got served champagne. Fairy lights gave the area an enchanted look and Changbin had just seated himself at the grooms’ table, where the married couple, and all their closest friends sat. Changbin observed his friends, and of _course_ all the couples were placed next to each other. Seungmin and Hyunjin were whispering quietly to each other (probably about what they wanted to see in their own wedding -- Changbin wanted to gag at the discreet PDA), Jeongin and Jisung were sucking face (Changbin immediately looked away), Minho and Chan were greeting the guests at the rehearsal dinner, and Felix was… nowhere to be seen?

Hmm.  
  


“Binnie!” Felix called, and Changbin’s head perked up as he met Felix’s eyes.

_Holy shit, he looked good._

Felix casually slid into the fancy chair next to Changbin’s grinning mischeviously, “So, two singles in a party full of couples, huh?” he joked, causing Changbin to look around and boy, Felix was right -- there wasn’t a single and ready to mingle person other than Felix in sight. (Oh, hey, that rhymed). Changbin chuckled in response and nodded. 

“It’s a great rehearsal dinner, though.” Changbin commented and Felix nodded in agreement as his fingers, his very tiny fingers, meddled with his Burberry tie. 

“But it’s boring, a little.” Felix added, and Changbin agreed. “Yeah, do you want to get some drinks?” 

“Don’t we have to give our toast?” Felix asked, and Changbin shrugged, “We won’t drink that much.” 

(Sure, you won’t. Keep believing that, sweetheart). 

**

Sure enough, a shot or two (or four) of vodka later, Changbin and Felix, both lightweights, felt the buzzing in their brains and the discarding of common sense that came with getting tipsy. They were both giggling loudly, shooting flirtatious comments at each other as the bartender watched on, mildly concerned. 

“Bartender Joe!” Changbin called loudly, despite the fact that the bartender was indeed standing less than 2 feet away from Changbin and Felix. Of course, they were slowly getting wasted, so they weren’t really aware of that fact. 

“My name’s San,” the bartender replied, mildly exasperated at the duo’s behavior.

“Okay John, pour us another round!” Changbin grinned and San (reluctantly) took out the vodka bottle and expertly poured it into two shot glasses. Changbin hummed proudly as his leg bounced up and down from being hyperactive. (He was an excitable drunk, what can he say?) 

“That was so hot.” Felix smiled, and Changbin dusted off his shoulder as if he tackled San for the liquor. “Thanks, Lixie.” San set both shot glasses down on the counter and Felix and Changbin immediately downed them, enjoying the kick that came from the liquid courage. 

And, a few rounds later, the two had downed seven shots and were _extremely_ wasted. Guess they lost track of vodka. Felix was giggling and sniffling at the same time as he turned to Changbin.

“Do you think…” he started and Changbin nodded, “I think! I think!!” 

Felix shook his head, slurring his words slightly “I dinn’ finish, Binnie, you cutie.” 

Maybe it was the alcohol or maybe it was Changbin being flustered by Felix’s drunken forwardness, but Changbin felt the blood surge through his face, making him look fire truck red. Felix giggled at Changbin’s reaction, and continued: 

“Do you think birds can still fly--” he paused to sniffle loudly and giggle, “-- after eating _cheese_?” 

Changbin thought for a second, seriously trying to remember what he knew about cheese birds (which was nothing -- cheese birds aren’t real, kids) and he nodded eagerly, “Of course they can!” 

  
Felix was about to add more about these non-existent cheese-eating birds, intending to inquire about how lactose-intolerant birds could fly after eating cheese, but before they could, two very concerned voices interrupted the flow of things.

“Lixie! Binnie! There you are!” 

Felix and Changbin turned to see Chan and Minho rushing towards them, concerned before Felix laughed loudly, the intoxication playing with his mind, and Chan and Minho froze in mild terror. 

“Holy crap,” Minho hissed to Chan, “Channie, who let them get so wasted?” 

“Not me. Book an Uber, they look like absolute messes.” Chan replied before marching up to Felix and Changbin and announcing loudly, “We’ve been looking all over for you! Are you ready to give your toasts?” 

Felix and Changbin laughed -- of course they weren’t ready to give a speech; they were _drunk_ , did Chan not realize that? Chan sighed, “Okay, I’m going to take that as a no. We’re going to take you home.”

“But the cheese birds!” Felix whined and Changbin snorted. Chan’s face contorted into a confused one, eyebrows quirked upwards as his mouth hung slightly ajar in disbelief. Through the blurry vision of Drunk Changbin™ though, that looked _hilarious_ , and Changbin burst out laughing again. Chan huffed in exasperation, looking frantically at Minho for assistance. Minho smiled and held up his phone, showing Chan that the Uber had been booked. 

Chan sighed in relief before gently grabbing Felix’s and Changbin’s hands and leading them out of the garden and through the hedges that marked the entrance to the hidden garden. Felix eyes sparkled under the glow of the LED lights hung up making him look ethereal, but since he wasn’t _sober_ , he huffed and pouted like a three year old in a candy store, “Chan, take us back! We weren’t done talking to Jimmy!” 

“Jacques,” Changbin corrected, stumbling as Chan helped him regain his composure. He sighed, “His name is _San_.” 

“That’s what he said! Tom!” Changbin protested. 

Chan shook his head, having no idea what to do with his chaotic friends, “Oh, my bad,” he smiled sheepishly as they finally exited the hedges. Minho followed close behind; fortunately the Uber was only going to take a short amount of time to arrive, and by the time they exited the garden, the Uber was already there, waiting for them. 

Minho sighed, “Wait, we didn’t think this through. How are they going to handle themselves?” 

Chan’s eyes widened in response, before his brows furrowed. “You think Jisung could go with them? Or Jisung and Jeongin? Just to drop them off?” 

“It really depends on if they want to do it.” Minho shrugs, “Oh, fuck it, I’m going to dial them.” 

And so Chan kept an eye on Felix and Changbin (which the latter was now attempting to pole dance on a streetlight -- he was going to regret that in the morning-- while Felix was chanting “poof goes the peepee!”).

_Note to Chan: Never let Felix and Changbin access alcohol again._

Chan looked away from the two, glancing at Minho who smiled tiredly, “Sung and Innie are coming,” he glanced at Changbin and Felix, winced and then added, “Also please tell me we’ll never have children.” 

Chan smiled as he pecked Minho on the cheek. “No children, dear,” he glanced over at Changbin and Felix who were now… sucking face? Okay, then. Chan immediately turned his head back to Minho, “Yeah, we’re never doing that.”

_Wait._

_Felix and Changbin were making out?!_

Minho and Chan’s heads immediately swerved back around to the drunken duo, and Minho looked like the personification of the surprised emoji while Chan facepalmed with his trademarked “What am I going to do with these losers I love too much?” expression adorning his face. 

“Okay, as sweet and cute as that is,” Chan started, stepping over to Changbin and Felix, “It’s best to not do drunken kissing.” 

Felix and Changbin separated, with swollen lips and Changbin pouting at Chan, “Please, you and Minho _hooked up_ when you were drunk.” 

Minho flushed, “Touche.” 

Before Chan could retort, Jisung and Jeongin arrived in all their noisy glory, grinning impishly. (Though, those grins quickly faded upon seeing how _wasted_ Changbin and Felix were and hearing how the two literally just made out.)

“I hate you all,” Jeongin announced, with no hostility, as the Uber arrived around the corner, parking across the street from the six of them, “But we got it from here. Go have fun, hyungs.” 

“We’re pretty tired anyway,” Jisung added. “Now we can _sleep_.” 

Minho and Chan sighed in relief, Minho snorting slightly at Jisung’s comment, before Chan replied gratefully “Thank you two _so much_. Alrighty, we’ll just skip the toasts, and carry on. See ya later!”

With that, Minho and Chan disappeared back into the hidden garden where the rehearsal dinner was continuing smoothly, while Jeongin turned to Jisung, “Sungie, do you want to handle these two while I go talk to the driver?” 

Jisung nodded, grateful that Jeongin understood his shyness around strangers, “Yeah, that works. Thanks, babe.”

Jeongin smiled, patting his boyfriend’s shoulder before walking over to the Uber. Meanwhile, Jisung turned to Changbin and Felix and clapped his hands loudly, “Okay losers, to the car.” 

Changbin and Felix complied, shuffling their feet across the rough cement, walking crookedly towards their ride, before -- you guessed it -- Felix stumbled over a small pot hole in the road and fell forward, and it was when Felix fell that Changbin’s braincell finally chose to work that night since the two got wasted, and the boy lunged forward and caught Felix by the small of his back.

Felix giggled as Changbin helped him back to his feet, “I guess I keep falling for you.”

An infatuated grin spread across Changbin’s lips as he replied, “And you keep catching my heart.” 

Jisung gagged, “That’s _disgusting._ Move along losers!” 

(The next morning, Felix and Changbin woke up in their respective apartments with smiles on their faces and the lingering feeling of love on their lips. 

That was, until the hangover kicked in for both Felix and Changbin, and waves of flashbacks hit the two, causing them to groan about bringing up “cheese birds” (whatever those were) and attempting to pole dance on a streetlamp (why?) respectively. )

**+1**

A few days later, the day of Minho and Chan’s wedding encroached upon Changbin and Felix, and for the first time since the very drunken kiss at the rehearsal dinner, the two encountered each other again. 

To be honest, for Felix it was a bit awkward. He didn’t know whether Changbin felt the same way he did about the kiss (read: he didn’t know if Changbin enjoyed it as much as he did) and frankly, he was too nervous and scared to ask. Every time the boy saw Changbin, the thought of just asking Changbin about the kiss (and maybe kissing him again, but soberly) intruded his mind, and he had to mentally slap himself.

He was at a _wedding._ It was Minho and Chan’s day. He had to focus on that. 

During the ceremony, Felix was standing on Chan’s side with Jisung and Jeongin, and when his eyes met Changbin’s from across the altar, they immediately darted away, focusing on the back of Chan’s head as the groom said his vows to the other groom. In his peripheral vision, he could see Changbin occasionally glance over in concern, before focusing back on the proceedings happening

_Don’t look away, don’t look away,_ Felix repeated in his mind, _Wait, is Chan-hyung’s hair really that damaged?_

Felix’s train of thought derailed around the time Minho finished his vows and the officiator droned on about something or the other (it went in one ear and went out the other), and Felix could blame the derailing on one person-- you guessed it -- Jisung.

“Dude,” Jisung whispered almost inaudibly, tapping Felix on the shoulder, “Are you good?”.

Felix smiled awkwardly, nodding and whispering, “Yeah, why?” 

“You look like you’re trying to break Channie-hyung’s skull with your glare,” Jisung whispered pointedly, and Jeongin nodded from behind him. 

Felix sighed, whispering back, “Really? Well, I guess I’m trying to avoid what happened at the rehearsal dinner.” 

Jisung’s lips pursed into a realizing “oh” shape before he glanced across the aisle, only to make eye contact with Changbin, “Okay, yeah, that’s understandable, carry on with avoiding your drunken past.” 

And so Felix’s eyes continued to stare at Chan’s bleach-blonde, hair as he watched the ceremony happen. Eventually, Chan and Minho embraced each other, sharing a tender kiss that sealed the deal of their lifelong partnership and that’s when Felix finally looked across the aisle. Hyunjin was crying rivers, and Seungmin was giggling at Hyunjin’s reaction, thumbing away the tears from his boyfriend’s face (Felix had to pause to appreciate their domesticity); then, Felix’s eyes shifted towards Changbin, who was looking directly at him, with unreadable eyes. Felix internally screamed: 

_What does that mean?!_

**

The sun had set behind the hills of the outskirts of Cle City by the time Felix found himself at the reception of Minho and Chan’s wedding, after all the toasts. Of course, with the effort he and Changbin put into their toast (with each other’s help), they had everyone smiling nostalgically, or in Chan’s case, crying a little bit due to how far they’ve all come. Now, everyone had taken to the dance floor with their partners, yet Felix still remained at the dinner table with Seungmin and Hyunjin, sipping water (he was _not_ going to risk getting wasted again), watching the dance floor, where Changbin was grooving alone, smiling and talking to Minho and Chan, who were dancing in each other’s arms. 

“Hey Felix,” Hyunjin started, taking Seungmin’s hands in his, “We’re going to go dance. Do you want to join us?” 

Felix hesitated for a second, thinking about how he might run into the victim of his drunken kiss, before shaking his head, “I think I’m good.” 

Hyunjin’s brows furrowed; it was unlike Felix to turn down the opportunity to dance, especially considering that he, Hyunjin and Minho were dance teachers. “How come-” he started, before glancing across the dance floor and seing Changbin, “ _oh._ Is it because of the pabbit man?” 

“Pabbit man?” Felix questioned and Hyunjin elucidated, “Changbin-hyung.” 

Felix flushed a teensy bit, and Seungmin smiled sympathetically, “Nervous?” 

Damn it, Felix forgot Seungmin was the master psychoanalyzer of the group. Felix nodded, “I just don’t want whatever we did when we were drunk to make things too awkward for us.”

Seungmin nodded understandingly, before countering Felix’s point, “That’s valid. But also, I think Changbin hyung enjoyed the kiss just as much as you did. He cares about you a lot, more than a friend does.”

Hyunjin added, “And secondly, you never know if you never ask. I’m not saying approach him directly and ask, if you’re not comfortable doing so, but if you dance and you two run into each other, you could ask. Don’t let an awkward situation get in the way of you having fun!” 

Felix sighed, sometimes, these two were so scarily accurate in their points, and they were insufferable for that. “Fine,” he caved, “Let’s go dance.” 

Hyunjin clapped his hands excitedly, “Yay!” 

And so the trio of friends found themselves on the dance floor. Felix danced on his own accord, following his own groove, watching fondly as Hyunjin twirled Seungmin around before being daring and dipping the younger without any warning. Seungmin let out a surprised “oh!” as Hyunjin did so, before smiling up at Hyunjin, and the blonde brought Seungmin back to his feet, delivering a quick peck to Seungmin’s lips. Seungmin giggled before saying he had to use the restroom, and Hyunjin nodded, letting go of Seungmin’s hand so he could excuse himself.

Once Seungmin left, Hyunjin held out his hand to Felix, which surprised the man. 

“May I have this platonic dance, Lixie?” he smiled princely, and Felix couldn’t turn down such an offer. So he nodded, eagerly saying yes, and Hyunjin took Felix’s hands and began to tango with him. Felix followed as Hyunjin led -- the elder did teach a tango class at the dance studio, so Felix trusted him. Hyunjin twirled Felix away from him, and Felix spun until he hit someone nearby and froze, stumbling a bit.

Hyunjin let go of Felix in surprise as the boy in question lost his balance. He was going to fall, and this time, Felix couldn’t help but think of Changbin, because Changbin always caught him, and this time, he wasn’t there. 

Sure enough, Felix felt strong hands grab his waist, steadying him.

_Changbin?_

Felix was set back on his feet and turned around, and of course, he came face to face with none other than Seo Changbin. 

“Hey,” Changbin smiled.

Felix couldn’t stop himself from bashfully smiling in return, and he greeted in return, “Hi Binnie.” 

Hyunjin was watching the two in amusement, before he declared, “You two should dance together!” 

Felix flushed and Changbin protested, but Hyunjin shook his head, “No buts. You two can talk things out, and- oh! I think I see Seungminnie. Have fun!” 

With that, Hyunjin skipped into the crowd to greet his boyfriend and dance with him some more, and that left Felix and Changbin behind, the duo standing with their mouths agape, before Changbin turned to Felix.

“So, do you want to dance? And talk things out?” 

Felix could feel the vibrations of his ballistic heart echoing in his skull as he nodded and a few seconds later, he found himself dancing with Changbin in his arms. The two box-stepped silently for a minute or so before Felix felt the urge to break the silence with the question that had been bothering him all day.

So he did.

“So, about that kiss,” Felix started, and Changbin smiled shyly, “Yeah, the kiss. It was nice. I really liked it.” 

_Phew!_

“Me too,” Felix replied happily, “It felt amazing, and not gonna lie, I would love to do it again.” 

Changbin was taken by surprise, and the elder’s lips parted in shock, “Really?!” 

Felix shyly confirmed, “Yeah. I think I’ve really grown to like you as… more than a friend. So kissing you was, like, really amazing, because even though we were drunk, I got to kiss you, and show you how I felt.” 

Changbin beamed, “That’s so sweet, though. And awesome too, because I definitely feel the same way.” 

Now it was Felix’s turn to be surprised. Changbin inched closer to Felix as the younger’s jaw dropped, “You like me too.” 

“I like you too.” Changbin repeated, and Felix squealed internally, his ballistic heart going supersonic. His vision became rose-colored and all that filled his mind at that particular moment was Changbin, Changbin, Changbin, and _goodness_ , Felix wanted to kiss him again. The air filled with tension waiting to be resolved and Changbin could feel it too, as that unreadable look returned in his eyes, but Felix could understand what those eyes meant -- desire. 

Felix’s eyes flicked down to Changbin’s lips, “That’s great,” he started, with a loving smile, “Do you want to take this further? Be more than friends?” 

Changbin nodded, “I would love to love you that way.” 

Felix’s grin grew. “Same here,” he paused for a second, before deciding to take the leap, “Do you want to seal it with a kiss?” 

Changbin agreed eagerly, “Oh hell yes.” 

And with that, Felix leaned down, capturing Changbin’s lips with his own as his arm wrapped gently around Changbin’s waist. Changbin kissed back eagerly, as he placed his hands on Felix’s torso, and the kiss was so warm. It felt like a catharsis, all the emotions and tension from when they first met on the bus finally releasing into the air around them. It was warm; it was loving. It felt like evening coffee dates and night time comfort talks; like afternoons in the libraries and walking through flower shops. It felt _perfect_ , and Felix couldn’t ask for a better first (sober) kiss with Changbin, because the elder’s lips tasted like cherries instead of vodka and they were _irresistible._

Eventually the two had to separate for air, dopey smiles adorning their faces as they giggled. 

“You really fell for me,” Changbin teased, imitating drunken Felix’s attempt of flirting with him. Felix pouted playfully, before smirking and retorting, “Well, you keep catching my heart.” 

Changbin flushed, laughing loudly, “Oh my goodness, you really used that against me.”

“Of course I would, Binnie. Now let’s dance, shall we?”

“I’m all yours.” 

And maybe, the two spent the rest of the night dancing and laughing in each other’s company, being caught in each other’s eyes. Maybe they shared a sweet good night kiss outside of the hedges underneath the fairy lights. Maybe they fell harder than ever for each other, but that was okay, because Changbin and Felix knew they’d always catch each other, now and forever. 

_you’re different than when we first met, i’m curious of you_

_the mood you give off completely changed, i’m curious of you_

_i can’t understand how i feel, mysterious of you_

_with the gaze you give me, let me say wow._

_Fin._

  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  


**Author's Note:**

> brief second to scream about seungmin and lia at sma  
> i love that man so much his VOCALS?! were AMAZING?! PLS IM SO PROUD OF HIM IM CRYING LOUDLY WITH FEELING RN AND LIA TOO OH MY GOODNESS JDSLKFDSJFLKS  
> also congrats to skz for the bonsang!! im proud of the boyos! :D  
> anyway: 
> 
> thanks for reading! i hope you enjoyed, and maybe you'll see more stories in cle city in the future!!
> 
> also i have a tumblr now! the @ is @seungminiss so if you want to see me scream a lot go there i guess~  
> stay safe, hydrate and don't procrastinate! <3


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